Review: God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel

God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel: How Truth Overwhelms a Life Built on Lies

By Costi W. Hinn (Zondervan)

He once enjoyed the abundant life. Not the fruitful one Jesus promised but a worldly one—the life of the rich and famous. The author of God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel was an “heir-apparent prosperity preacher” before leaving the hypocrisy of a ministry fueled by greed rather than grace.

As a young man, Costi Hinn became conflicted about his Christian heritage. For years he ministered alongside his prosperity-preaching father, and he travelled extensively with his uncle, the world-famous televangelist Benny Hinn. Costi eventually questioned the integrity of their ministry—funded by the offerings of poor and desperate people around the world. The “seed-faith” gifts added up to millions that afforded his family’s expensive hotel stays, Rolls-Royce chauffeur rides, shopping sprees in Beverly Hills, gambling in Monte-Carlo and more.

Costi Hinn, now a pastor with a passion to preach the biblical gospel, grew up in a mansion in British Columbia. His father followed Benny Hinn’s ministry model (“like franchising a business”) and founded a signs-and-wonders school. “Anyone could pay tuition to learn how to do miracles, speak in tongues, and perform healings,” he writes.

In God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel, Hinn calls out the sin of false teaching and the perils of greed, but he avoids judging the salvation of those who preach a distorted gospel. He hopes this book will serve as a “rescue operation” for vulnerable people.